Bi-Weekly Book Reviews for Ambitious Achievers

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What if I told you that I lost 5% bodyfat and 13.6lbs in 30 days with no exercise and only dieting 6 days a week? That’s exactly what I’m telling you.

January 1 – February 7th (I forgot to take after pictures on the first of Feb.)

If you had told me a year ago there was a way to lose 13.6 lbs as well as 5% bodyfat in 30 days with no exercise, I would have laughed at you. In the past month however, I experienced this first-hand. This post explains which book I got the information from and how things happened.

Tim Ferriss is at the top of the list of podcasters that I listen to on a regular basis. Until buying his books at the end of last year, passive listening was all I had done. Now that I’m not under a self-imposed deadline to read a book a week, I figured 2017 is time for self-experimentation. Ferriss excels at this (a self described “Human guinea pig”) and advocates that people optimize their lives.

His second book, “The 4-Hour Body” was published in 2010 and reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. I purchased this book with a specific outcome in mind, rather than filling my mind with fitness information, I wanted a measurable result.

Derek Sivers, one of Ferriss’s podcast guests and founder of CDbaby.com, is on record as saying

“If information were the answer, we would all be billionaires with perfect abs.”

I knew that having access to information wasn’t the answer, it was having a framework which I could consistently apply select information to my life.

If you’re wondering why you would pick up The 4-Hour Body, this is why. You’ll read a portion of the book and get an an actionable experiment to try.

One last mindset before I show you the nitty-gritty of my last 30 days. Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus Exercise machines, is the father of what Ferriss calls the “Minimum Effective Dose.” Put simply, this is the mindset that says that a certain input that creates a desired result is exactly what you do. Anything less and you don’t get the result, any more and there will be side effects. In order to build this mindset, Jones admonishes on pg 20:

“REMEMBER: It is impossible to evaluate, or even understand, anything you cannot measure.”

Feeling armed with knowledge, I set out on the first of the year to find out what I could change in one month following the Slow-Carb Diet.

1.1.17: 222.0 Pounds // 24% Bodyfat // 122.0 Total Inches

Inspired by stories of people in the book and posts like “How to Lose 100 Pounds on The Slow-Carb Diet” I was ready. I stepped on the scale, calculated my bodyfat percentage, and found my “Total Inches” by measuring around my waist, my hips, my arms, and my thighs.

This is the extent of the rules I followed, according to the above-linked post:

Rule #1: Avoid “white” starchy carbohydrates (or those that can be white). This means all bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and grains. If you have to ask, don’t eat it.Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again, especially for breakfast and lunch. You already do this; you’re just picking new default meals.Rule #3: Don’t drink calories. Exception: 1-2 glasses of dry red wine per night is allowed.Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit. (Fructose –> glycerol phosphate –> more bodyfat, more or less.) Avocado and tomatoes are excepted.Rule #5: Take one day off per week and go nuts. I choose and recommend Saturday.

That’s it.

Seriously.

30 days later I couldn’t believe the change.

I did take this on February 7th (Oops!) but my Feb 1 numbers were: 208.4 Pounds // 19% Bodyfat // 112.37 Total Inches

I know I was able to implement this diet because I had a psychological “out” on Saturday. I ate everything in sight, the one saturday I documented for the video review came in at a whopping 6275 calories… Check out the video below and skip to 5:20 to see pictures of all the junk food from that day.

In conclusion, I only read a part of the book, but that was the minimum effective dose that I needed to get on track to where I want to be. I’m not to either my goal weight or muscle mass yet. But as I write this post on Saturday (“Faturday”) at a Panera Bread after eating two chocolate pastries and downing a Crystal Pepsi, I can honestly say I’m having fun with this experiment.

We all have goals, dreams, and priorities that never get done. I have things that I procrastinate regularly as I’m sure you do too.

Here’s the rub. We often think that if we will just use our willpower and get back on track, we can blast through our to-do list, multitasking to keep everyone happy along the way, and emerge victorious winners of the rat race.

His book, The ONE Thing, co-authored with Jay Papasan, encourages you to think through your various roles withthe lens of what they call “The Focusing Question.”

What is the one thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?

This focusing question is an extension of the “Pareto Principle.” The Pareto Principle states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the activities. Because of this, we look specifically for the highest value for effort. Another great application of the Pareto Principle can be found in the book Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy (it’s about overcoming procrastination).

Pause a second and read the quoted question again. This shouldn’t be a trite process as you determine your one thing. It has to be something you can do. Picking out unrealistic activities helps no one. Saying, “such that by doing it” implies that you are committed and can finish this one thing. Most important, it has to have a ripple effect on the rest of your to-do list. And not only that, you must push yourself to ask if it will make EVERYTHING else easier or unnecessary?

Here’s my story. After graduating college I wanted to continue rigorous reading, to work on public speaking skills, to be more literate in the digital world, to create passive income, to add value to the world, to inspire people of my generation, among other things. 🙂 Way too lofty? That’s just how I think.

I hadn’t read this book but I figured if I could be accountable to an audience, I would have built-in pressure and would be less likely to wimp out. I decided to start a book review YouTube channel.

Looking back, I see this principle in action. By committing to weekly uploads for the first 8 months, I had no choice but to read a book a week and bring value to the videos I was making. Making videos had a direct effect on my ability to communicate and I had no choice but to learn how to edit video in the process. Do I make thousands of dollars or reach millions with useful content? No. But if I don’t start somewhere, I’ll never get to serve that many people.

Ryan Holiday, #1 bestselling author, writes on the topic of ego to address our addiction to the drug-like effects of buying into our own awesomeness.

Why would you pick this book off the shelves? This book gives practical applications to individuals interested in maintaining their success and avoiding failure due to ego.

We consistently find ourselves in three stages in life, aspiring, succeeding, or failing. In chapter 32, Holiday concludes a thought, “…ego makes all three stages harder, but it has the potential to make failure permanent.”

Holiday’s writing is highly influenced by stoic thinkers like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. From a Christian perspective, this book is spot on, and Holiday points it out in chapter 9. He says that Christians approach the topic of ego by simply labeling it pride… and then agrees that you don’t have to be a Christian to agree that it is a bad idea all around. Over 2500 years ago King Solomon wrote,

Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 18:12

He gets it.

In this week’s book review video, I point out that the idea that “you can be lesser, but still do more” is foreign to our culture and is worth reclaiming.

If you choose to read this book, you will be regaled with stories from throughout history of ego hindering the success of great men and women. Check out the three links below for a sample of the book: the first is the introduction and Ryan Holiday’s personal story; the second is a recording of a chapter entitled “What’s Important to You” one of the best of the book; the third is a review from Derek Sivers because he has 200 high quality book summaries on his site and he loves this book.

We tend to focus on a single piece of information when making choices.

Most of the time this helps. Here’s how.

Recently, on a flight from Singapore to the US, I was eating sushi with my brother in the Tokyo airport. I’ve never had saké before and wanted to try. However, when the waitress placed a box and chilled shot glass in front of me and filled both the glass and the box with alcohol, my enthusiasm waned. I realized I had no idea of the “right” way to drink saké.

I cast searching glances at every patron in sight but no one had a box of liquid in front of them.

Divorced from the internet because of airplane mode, I had no one to model proper drinking technique. Finally, I turned to the well-dressed businessman next to me at the bar and confessed,

“Hi sir, I’m a dumb American, how am I supposed to drink this? Right out of the box?”

He assured me that I was on the right track and I enjoyed the cold saké out of the box and munched the Narita roll with my brother before our flight.

We often use “social proof” (the actions of those around us) to figure out the right way to act in uncertain situations. This allowed me to enjoy saké in a foreign airport….but there are ways to hack these systems to influence. Imagine if I had seen someone pouring the box back into the shot glass, I would have blindly followed suit, assuming it was correct.

This book is about the six most powerful ways in which humans tend to develop automatic responses. Dr. Robert Cialdini, a cognitive psychologist, has spent his life exploring and testing these tactics. He’s even gone undercover into organizations that cleverly use our human nature to gain compliance from us.

Again, most of the time these mostly automatic responses are beneficial, like looking around to figure out how to eat foreign foods. Yet sometimes others exploit these tactics to get us to bend to their will in ways that we may not realize.

As I said in my video on this topic, “[read this book] if for nothing else than to understand how to withstand some of these tactics.” Please remember though all of the compliance tactics discussed in the book or this post can be employed for good or for evil, depending on the motives of the person using them.

Here’s the list of six and a .gif to help you understand each.

Reciprocity.. Free samples at the supermarket are a subtle favor for passers-by and often individuals will buy even if they didn’t like the sample. We are compelled to respond in kind to favors and concessions we receive from others.

Consistency.We have an almost obsessive desire to act and appear consistent with what we have already done. Our self-image is one of the most reliable factors we can look to when making decisions.Writing something down can help change the way we view ourselves.

Remember Bart writing line after line.

Social Proof.Especially when in uncertain situations, we look to the actions of those like us to figure out how to act. This was the saké situation or the BBQ Stingray I referenced in the video.

Those cats are as much affected by each other’s reactions as they are startled by the moving paper bag.

Liking. All things being equal, we do more for those people we like. All things aren’t equal, but we still do more for those people we like. We also tend to like attractive people, people who seem similar to us, and those people who like us back.

President Obama has both likability as well as an every-man quality that many find appealing. Plus he takes selfies..

Authority. If a man in a police uniform came up and berated you for jaywalking, it wouldn’t likely occur to you to ask for his badge number. The appearance of authority is often enough cue for us to comply. Even if the appearance is just a well tailored business suit.

Leonardo DiCaprio could convince anyone with that pilot’s uniform.

Scarcity. You remember wanting the last cookie just because your brother wanted it, right? Even if you were full, the value of the cookie went up because other people might take it. We often act like grabby kids.

Think Black Friday shopping.

Thanks for checking out what I can almost 100% guarantee is the only blog post explaining Cialdini’s influence tactics with .gifs

Here’s a mildly academic takeaway from John Stuart Mill to make you feel smart because of your access to the internet.

John Stuart Mill, the British economist, political thinker, and philosopher of science, died more than a hundred years ago. The year of his death (1873) is important because he is reputed to have been the last man to know everything there was to know in the world. Today, the notion that one of us could be aware of all known facts is only laughable.

Influence, pg. 207

Keep reading Friends!

Until next time (I’m switching to every other week with the blog, due to other projects taking off). Follow along on twitter! @jondelange

Great fiction writing highlights a familiar truth in an unexpected way.

Gaiman writes about the world of the dead as he reminds us to cherish the time we have in this life. Because most of the characters in The Graveyard Book are eternal, the experiences of the mortal main character, Nobody Owens, are seen in stark relief.

The Graveyard Book came recommended to me via Tim Ferriss as he consistently promoted it on his podcast in conjunction with Audible. I picked it up for a recent vacation, an easy way I could justify adding a fiction book to my reading list, and was not disappointed! I was immersed into a world that swirled with mist and creaked as I opened the gate to enter the graveyard.

If you enjoy the fantasy genre, you’ll find yourself walking with werewolves. If you prefer mysteries, this book opens upon a Man outfitted entirely in Black immediately after a murder has taken place. If you’re like me and you enjoy a great history reference, the inhabitants of the graveyard are stuck in the years in which they died. Because of this, they bring their culture with them as they interact with one another.

Gaiman has written a book that entices the reader ever deeper into a mythology that parallels modern life. You find yourself in small-town England amid rolling hills as soon as you turn the first page.

Since the book follows the opening years of Nobody Owen’s (Bod, as he’s known to his friends) life, you experience the passage of time in a graveyard which is incongruous to the inhabitants, who are eternal. Bod can converse with the inhabitants of the graveyard, and is raised by them, with the specter of the Man in Black in the background of the story, until he isn’t.

I won’t spoil the rest of the story. I trust you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did.

I didn’t want to read another book on attitude. Then I realized I had to fix my attitude about it.

This drove home to me the principle reinforced by John Maxwell, that we are in control of our attitudes. In the book Attitude 101 Maxwell condenses volumes of work available on attitude to give you and I thoughts on the impact of attitude, the formation of attitude, and the way to approach your future with the right attitude.

Attitude 101 is the third book reviewed on this blog about attitude. “Attitude is Everything” by Jeff Keller is great attitude philosophy and “The Difference Maker,” also by John Maxwell, delves into the idea that our attitudes can provide us with a competitive edge.

This book is part of Maxwell’s “Real Leadership” series and is a half-size, ninety-seven page, one-sitting read. Yet the wisdom contained in this small book has a big impact.

As far as impact of your attitudes, Maxwell defines attitude as “an inward feeling expressed by action” (pg. 13). If your attitude is good, others are aware of those actions that exemplify your inward feelings. But if your attitude stinks, you are betrayed by the inevitable overflow of your attitude. According to Maxwell, “most bad attitudes are the result of selfishness” (pg. 11).

Check out this week’s video for an explanation of how you are in control of the formation of your attitudes and your thought habits can be changed:

Another tool we have to use is our word choice in forming our attitudes. Maxwell shares on pg 48 a list of common words that we should replace in our vocabulary. Remember, attitudes are the outward expression of inward feelings. If we can change our inward thoughts, this sort of outward language follows:

What is the possible future of having a great attitude in life? Does it mean that everything comes easy and you never struggle again? Certainly not. However, adversity can serve to lift you when you have the right attitude.

Think of running around as a kid with a kite. Could that kite fly without wind? No, there had to be wind to lift the kite, but it was anchored at the same. That resistance lifted it higher and higher with tension on the line. In the same way, with the right attitude we can use the winds of adversity to lift us higher and higher while staying anchored by the line of truth.

John Maxwell will be the first to tell you that attitude doesn’t replace aptitude. But having aptitude without the right attitude means someone may replace you.

Until next time (Next week I’ll be traveling, unlikely I’ll be able to get a blog up),

As one of the most respected authors and speakers on leadership over the past four decades, John Maxwell has made a lifelong pursuit of adding value to those around him. That’s important to realize before picking up any of his books because they are each designed to give you actionable strategies to use today.

I won’t steal any of his thunder, and let you hear from the author about his own book here:

Did you watch the video? The rest of this post requires you hear Maxwell say the phrase, “Attitude ISN’T everything.”

Nine: As A Strength Coach, I Disrespect Running Too Much

There is a specific reason for this: misinformation is best defeated with hyperbole. And such a high percentage of the general population believe cardio is the secret to fat loss progress.

He goes on… it’s mostly fitness stuff.

But did you catch it? As soon as I read the phrase “misinformation is best defeated with hyperbole,” I got thinking. I don’t 100% agree with Mike, but the conclusion I reached is close.

Misinformation is shaken by hyperbole, and when your incorrect beliefs are shaken, new information has the chance to take root.

So how does this all fit with Maxwell and attitude??

John Maxwell takes an approach to attitude that is extremely correct. He tells you what attitude can do, he tells you what attitude cannot do, and he gives techniques and strategies for dealing with five major attitude anchors.

On the other side, Jeff Keller, shakes the mindset of the public by overstating the situation and shouting, “ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING”

Is that the case? No, but now that Keller has your attention, let’s let him talk about what your attitude can do.

Bottom line, both books have valuable information and insight into what can be your greatest asset and competitive edge, your attitude.

Until next week,

Keep reading, friends!

P.S. Extra content: a connection can hit you any time, anywhere. I was wrestling with these contradictory mindsets of attitude until I read a fitness article about Nike, weightlifting, and distance running.

Trying a new approach to the blog this week, if you like it I’ll do more of them!

We’re breaking down human behavior based on principles from books and authors that have already been reviewed here. We’ll answer questions about people’s behavior in general.

Have you ever wondered why people don’t start the things they say they want to start?

We all know someone who wants to start a business or get in shape or learn an instrument. What holds them back?

In thinking this through it seems like there are two central issues, though there could be more. First is fear, second is misunderstanding success in your chosen area as being driven by talent rather than skill.

Fear is real. Fear is success enemy number one.

The Magic of Thinking Big starts chapter three with those twin sentences. But how to overcome fear? That is shared there too.

Action cures fear. -pg 110

You can always take a positive action that will diminish your fear.

Afraid of that phone call? Make it, and the fear is gone.

Seems like a pat answer, but its power is in the simplicity. Just do it.

A great way to push yourself to action is through accountability. I remember making plans to start this YouTube/blog series at the beginning of 2016, yet I was fearful because I didn’t know how to edit video. I missed the first weeks of January and decided I couldn’t back out if I told my friend Russ I would start in February.

This series launched the first week of February.

The second thing is a misunderstanding of how people who are successful in your chosen field got to where they are.

Jeff Olson calls the skills mindset the Slight Edge philosophy. The idea that your habits have a cumulative effect either positively or negatively on your life.

How does this relate to people not starting the things they want to start?

People who have the talent mindset don’t realize they can improve slowly but surely in their chosen endeavor. They also tend to compare their beginner skill set with world class skills. For reference, Malcolm Gladwell says in his book, Outliers, that world class abilities are developed over 10,000 hours before mastery can occur.

We’ve all thought “I’ll never be like that.” But we have to remember that there may be thousands of hours of practice between our point A and our hero’s point B.

My friend Carlos, who runs the YouTube channel ProyectoGTG, gave me this advice before I started the series. He said its more important to just get started than than to be good when you get started. I agree, just start, and you can develop your skills along the way just like everyone else.

Hopefully this gives some insight into your interactions with others! Let me know if you like this format, I would like to bring helpful content on the weeks I don’t have a chance to read an entire new book. If you’ve got a better format idea or a question about “Why do people do that” Let me know! 🙂

Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, believes that being lucky is your key to success.

Before you click away, I agree with you that this philosophy doesn’t lend itself to observable reality which is why I don’t hold this worldview (In fact, I’d recommend you go read “The Magic of Thinking Big” instead of this book).

However.

Adams’s book is illustrated at every turn by stories like how he lost his voice for several years. I truly enjoyed this book, and have several tactics I can fit into my own worldview after reading it. Here are my two favorites.

Systems are for winners, Goals are for losers.

Every skill you acquire doubles your odds of success.

Here’s the thing, I believe in objective truth, that our actions have real consequences, and our universe functions according to its created order. Within this framework, I see tremendous value in these two tactics.

Systems: Think of it in these terms, someone sets a goal to lose 10 pounds. While they may achieve it or not, they are putting stress on themselves to get there. On the other hand, someone who builds a system of eating healthy foods and trains themselves to desire activity need not worry about weight loss. It happens naturally.

If you can build a system for yourself, it will eventually beat a goal. A system plays the odds in your favor, while a goal makes a situation into a win/lose scenario.

A system builds a foundation so that when you do reach your goal, the improvement stays.

There are always exceptions, obviously, but when you do set goals, try to think of the system that under-girds your success.

Skills: If you are bi-lingual, you can be an average employee and get promoted faster than someone who lacks that extra skill.

Scott Adams describes himself as a mediocre artist who happened to have a background in corporate America, average humor quality, and who could write a little. These skills combined to propel him to fame as the creator of Dilbert.

Adding skills to your life allows you to take advantage of opportunities that seem tailor made for someone with your unique combination.

There are always exceptions, obviously, but when you do learn skills, try to think of those that will add the most width to your life. Skip the basket-ball spinning skills, of course.

This tactic also discounts the outside possibility that you have world-class ability or potential in a single area. If that’s the case, extra skills may detract from your time spent in pursuit of that area.

Read more from Scott Adams on doubling your odds of success at Forbes.com

As previously mentioned, I wouldn’t recommend this as the only book you read on success, but it is a fun read. From re-learning to talk, learning hypnosis, affirmations, failing as a restaurant owner, Scott Adams has experience in it all.

We’ve all got problems. We also think a handful of Benjamins can fix them, right?

Don’t get me wrong, you and I might be able to fix some things with cash. However, the life of Ben Franklin offers wisdom quite a bit more valuable than his face on the $100 dollar bill.

This post isn’t a recap of his life, there are textbooks for that. What I hope is that you’ll use his tactic of being creative when faced with problems. So many of us are afraid of action if the outcome is uncertain.

Read this book to see how Franklin handled difficulty.

Ben Franklin was many things during his life, founding father, printer, inventor, international diplomat, military strategist, philosopher, and “the greatest conversationalist in the colonies,” were among his roles.

We can draw present-day wisdom from his 18th-century accomplishments.

Most people focus on his 13 virtues that he developed in his 20s and lived throughout his life.

Again, not deep diving here, go check out these posts and books to learn about his 13 virtues:

However, I was fascinated by his method of thinking through problems in a creative way. Backed up by a group of men who met weekly to discuss ideas, Franklin instituted the first fire department during his lifetime. He invented a stove that heated the house safely and consumed so much less wood that it’s design was used for over a hundred years. He franchised his printing businesses all around the American colonies and trained entrepreneurs.

My favorite story was this one about getting his soldiers to attend daily prayers during the French and Indian War using a chaplain and alcohol. I share that one here:

Again, I believe that a creative approach allows us to be more effective. I hope you’ll read this book and learn directly from the only founding father who signed the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, and the Treaty of Paris (ending the Revolutionary War).

For kicks and giggles, count how many times Franklin says “ingenious” in his book. It seems to be his favorite adjective.

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Jon DeLange is the owner of Jumpsix Marketing Grand Rapids and Director of Development at Lakeshore Pregnancy Center. Find him reviewing books on YouTube as "Why Should I Read That." Visit jondelange.com to keep in touch!